Kindred Spirits
by Bandolera Roja
Summary: Cute little one-shot featuring Po and Tigress. What if they'd happen to meet years before the movies, when they were just cubs.


**Hi. Here is my first KFP fanfiction.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own KFP, nor do I own the characters :P**

**There, disclaimer out of the way, now on with the story :D  
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'Kindred Spirits'

By BandoleraRoja

In an old seemingly forgotten storeroom in the Jade Palace, containing various boxes and other miscellaneous items, the Dragon Warrior, with broom in hand, was sweeping the wooden floor. Grumbling to himself slightly as he performed this chore. For this task was issued by Master Shifu as punishment for another one of Po's stuff-ups. The grand master chose this small out of the way room for Po's punishment, for he believes that the likelihood of disaster occurring would be minimal here. [_Unlike other occasions, such as in tLoA, episodes, 'Sticky Situation', 'Good Po, Bad Po', just to name a couple.]_

In his distracted state, Po accidentally knocks his broom against a pile of carefully stacked boxes.

_'Uh oh!'_

The topmost boxes topple and crash to the ground, creating a miniature dust cloud.

_***Cough, cough***__, 'Great, more mess!' _he thinks sarcastically, after the cloud of dust settles.

Po stands back a bit to survey the damage done; optimistically he thinks the new mess isn't as bad as first thought.

Leaning his broom against a stack of boxes that had remained where they stood, Po begins to shift boxes back to their original place (or at least near enough in his opinion).

By the quantity of dust present on the boxes it appeared as if they hadn't been touched in years, or even decades.

Moving onto another upturned box, he realises that the force of the fall had resulted in the box opening, revealing a piece of silk fabric sticking through the gap.

_'Well, what do we have here?' _curiosity suddenly grips the panda, the shiny red fabric engulfing his attention.

Po sits himself beside the box, and gently picks up the fabric with a large black furred paw, careful not to damage the aged material, and with his other paw completely opens the box.

The light reveals the fabric to be a red silk dress (intended to be worn by a little girl, perhaps of age five or six), its golden edges somewhat dulled with age, but the pattern of lilies threaded in gold were still as delicate and intricate as they had been the day they were made.

Po wondered why the small garment was familiar to him, a hazy vision as if in a dream. His mind drifts to a time long ago, when life was simple and he would never in a million years have guessedthat he was destined to be the Dragon Warrior.

_**-Start of Flash Back-**_

A chubby panda cub sits on the top step of the long flight of stairs that leads all the way from the village in the Valley of Peace to the Jade Palace, with its large wooden double doors sealed off to the rest of the world and including himself. Staring up at the starry night sky he sighs to himself; he'd trudged the large stairway with his dad in hopes of being allowed a peek into the palace grounds and the chance to see an actual kung fu master; much to his disappointment he was forced to wait outside 'till his dad returned from delivering noodles to the palace's kitchen for the Master's Spring Festival dinner.

_'So that whole walk up here was for nothing'_ thinks the young panda, still feeling a bit worn out from the trek up. Determined not to be left disappointed the cub stands up and turns to face the palace doors.

_'There's got to be another way in'_, Po looks around the compound with his emerald green eyes; seeing only walls blocking his sight.

_'Maybe there's a back entrance'_ Po thinks to himself as he moves along the edges of the great stone exterior.

One paw on the pale stone the cub's mind is filled with the exciting thoughts of his heroes.

_'I can't believe that just on the other side of this wall are kung fu masters. Master Chao. Master Junjie. Master Shifu. Ooh, and even Master Oogway__**. **__Total awesomeness'. _

Distracted with his thoughts Po doesn't notice the build up of vegetation around his feet, leading him to tumble head over heels in a ball of black and white fur, with a thump.

"Owe!" Po rubs a black paw against the back of his head, though a smile quickly slides itself upon his face at the sight of a gap in the seemingly impenetrable palace wall.

"Oh my gosh! Yes! Finally I get to see the Jade Palace" (_Po speaks to himself in a hushed voice in case someone were to find him_).

Po creeps up to the small gap, which was just large enough to fit his paw through, as quietly as he could. Eagerly he looks through the gap and sets is green eyes on the wonders within the walls; he was in awe at the sight of the Jade Palace, it was better than he'd imagined it and the descriptions that some of the other villagers, who had seen within had given him, couldn't compare. It took all his self control to stop himself from jumping up and down with joy, then suddenly his emerald orbs catch onto to something he wasn't expecting. Sitting on the steps leading to one of the rear entrances to the palace was a little tiger cub. She was wearing a red silk dress, with gold silk trimming and threaded lilies on the red fabric, and lilies on her head. She was apparently oblivious to the presence of the panda just outside the wall, her eyes fixated on the stars that littered the sky, a slight twinge of sadness hovering in her pensive gaze.

_'I wonder who that is?' _the panda thinks to himself, curiosity in his eyes. Shifting about a bit in an attempt to see better Po steps on a twig, causing an audible cracking noise; he turns his sights away from the gap momentarily,

_'I hope no one heard that'_.

"Aghh!"

Looking back through the gap Po's eyes meet, much to his surprise, a pair of crimson coloured eyes staring back at him with a stern look.

"You shouldn't be here. The Palace is off limits to the villagers" her voice more commanding than one would have expected from a little girl.

"Well then I have nothing to worry about, since technically I'm not even within the surrounding palace wall." the young panda replies smugly, catching the young tigress off guard. All that the little tigress can see of the stranger is his jade green eyes, and she looks at him suspiciously, trying to figure out her new 'opponent'.

Not finding a way to respond to his statement she turns away from the little boy, and leans against the wall staring up again, out of the boy's sight

"You still there?" Po inquires after a few moments of silence.

To his relief he hears her respond, "Yea..." the cold steely tone absent in her voice.

Realising she wasn't going to pursue the conversation he continues to talk; "So... What are you doing in the Jade Palace?

"I live here..."

"Really? Awesome... You've must've met heaps of kung fu masters. I am so jealous..." the excitement present in his voice and his enthusiasm for kung fu is evident.

"Yea..." (She replies lacking his energy, like what he sees as a dream come true to him is just another day for her)

Determined not to give up on his only link to the palace Po perseveres at getting the other cub to speak more than just a few words.

"You don't say very much, do you?"

"I shouldn't be talking with a stranger..."

"Fine, let's be friends. Then we can talk without being strangers"

A pause of hesitation on her part; "...Friends?"

"Yea, friends..." Po moves his face away from the gap in the wall and places a black paw through it.  
>"So... What do you say? Friends...?" his outstretched paw awaiting her reaction.<p>

After another moment's pause Po feels a warm, soft furred hand grab a hold of his; "...friends."

The panda is unable to see the smile on the young tigress' face. They hold paws for a moment longer before realising they are doing so and quickly let go. Each of the cubs unable to see the other blushing.

"So... Friend... What's your name?"

The young tigress remains silent...

"Err... Well, my name is Po" pipes up the panda, waiting for an answer from the girl.

Again no response from the other side of the wall

"Still not going to answer me. Okay, if you won't tell me your name, then I'll give you one..."

"You're going to give me a name...?" amusement in her voice as she breaks her silence.

"Sure, I have to call you something... Hmm... I'll call you Tiger Lily"

"Tiger Lily...?" the amusement still present in her voice.

"Yea, 'cause you're pretty like one-" realising what he just said too late to stop himself, the little panda blushes, and the little tigress behind the wall giggles at the panda's sweet words.

The girl's scarlet eyes return to his sights (she was sitting by the wall and out of his line of sight) and she looks at him.

"Po, you live down in the village, right?"

"Yea" responds the little panda, happy at getting a full sentence from the girl.

"What's it like?"

"You've never been to the village?"

"... No" she answers bluntly.

"Really?" genuinely surprised at her response, but then remembers he had never seen her before and he had been living in the village with his dad for as long as he can remember.

"It's just like any other village, with shops, houses and lots of villagers."

"...Sounds busy."

Seeing again that the girl had returned to silence, mulling over the idea of life in the village, Po breaks the silence again...

"My Baba and me run a noodle shop down in the village. The best noodles in China. You should come and eat there one day. Who else lives in the Jade Palace with you?"

"Only Master Shifu and Master Oogway."

"No one else? Any other kids like you?"

"No..."

"Don't you get lonely?" asks the panda, looking at the tigress' crimson eyes.

"Sometimes..." the little tigress moves her eyes to face away from her friend in an attempt to hide the brief glimpse of sorrow, "But I'm used to it..."

Mr Ping's voice can be heard in the distance calling out for his son. "Po? Po?..."

At hearing his dad calling for him, Po turns to look straight into the little tigress' ruby eyes, and says,

"My Baba's calling for me. I have to go home.

"Oh..." The tigress looks down a bit at the thought of losing her new friend. Seeing this Po quickly responds.

"But we'll still be friends."

She looks back to him, her eyes filled with the confidence that they possessed before. Offering her orange paw to him she says, "Promise...?"

He holds her paw firmly and answers, "Promise".

Letting go he looks at her one last time and says, "Goodbye, Tiger Lily."

Po turns away and makes his way back to his dad. At the sight of the panda cub the goose envelops the cub (who is bigger than he) in a hug.

"There you are Po. I was looking all over for you. I'm sorry you weren't allowed to see the Jade Palace" the goose knew very well how much his son loved kung fu.

"That's okay Baba. I don't mind."

"Let's go home and I'll cook you some noodles" Mr Ping says to his beloved son.

"Awesome..."

The two walk down the long stairway back down to the village and to their home; and thus consequently away from _his_ Tiger Lily.

Back at his home, in his bedroom before retiring for the night, Po looks out of his window and wishes upon the stars that shine before him that he would see her again, someday.

_**-End of Flash Back-**_

"How is the _cleaning_ in here going?" The familiar voice of his friend and fellow kung fu master, Tigress, snapping him out of his reverie.

Po turns around to see said tigress casually leaning against the large doorway of the storeroom and her striped arms crossed across her chest. Her crimson eyes move from his green ones to briefly scan the state of the room; it was fairly clean except for the small pile of old boxes near the large panda, one of which was open, its contents revealed. Getting no response, from her usually talkative comrade she approaches him. A paw placed on his shoulder completely snaps him back to the present.

"You okay Po?" a hint of concern present in her voice, for the panda's shoulder had flinched ever so slightly at her touch.

"Oh... umm... Yea... I'm totally fine..." Po answers hesitatingly.

Taking a step back Tigress then answers, "You are many things, Dragon Warrior. But a liar is not one of them. Something on your mind?"

"No, it's nothing... Nothing at all" shrugging off Tigress' query, not wishing to talk about his memory.

Seeing as she was not going to get more of a response from her friend, she chooses not to pursue the subject further, knowing that the panda will speak his mind in time.

Tigress moves forward to see within the box Po had open in front of him (as his bulk was obscuring her view). Held in one of his large paws was a little girl's traditional silk dress, its illustrious pattern and texture worn away due to the years of being left neglected in the box; its gold and red threads without the lustre they once possessed.

"I forgot this stuff was here..." Tigress half-whispered to herself.

Po moves to place the dress back as neatly as he could into the box.

"Tiger Lily...?" Po, whispers absent-mindedly to himself as he closes the box.

At the sound of those whispered words from the Panda sitting before her, her eyes show an inkling of surprise; but she quickly regains her composure, and looks as if what he said had not struck some deep rooted chord.

"I think you've been in here too long. Here, let me help you finish tidying up this mess."

The two make quick work of the rest of the boxes; just in time for Monkey to call from the doorway, reminding Po it was his turn to cook dinner that night. Monkey and Po exit the room, leaving Tigress alone in the storeroom with her memories. Po's whispered words echo in her mind, bringing forth a recollection she had long forgotten.

-Start of Flash Back-

"Tigress?"

The little tigress begins to say farewell to her new friend, when her sensitive ears catch the sound of Master Shifu's serious voice calling out her name. She turns her head to face the red panda standing at the top of the stairs leading to the interior of the Jade Palace (which was her home).

"I'm over here Baba", she stands up and attempts the shield the gap from the view of her adopted father.

Looking over to the girl he then says, "Come inside, it is late. You have training tomorrow". Then he turns to enter the building, knowing that the girl would obey instructions.

"Yes, Baba" answers Tigress.

Once Shifu had disappeared from her sights, Tigress turns to look through the gap in the wall, and is disappointed to see that the little boy had left. All she had to remember of him was his eyes, those lovely jade green eyes; which she intended never to forget.

"Goodbye... Po"

Even though it was kind of pointless to say farewell, because he had already gone, she didn't care.

She moves away from the wall and makes her way to the small flight of stairs leading to a set of large double doors. Before ascending she looks up into the night sky, the stars as always looking down over the world; ever present. Silently she makes a wish to see the boy with the jade eyes again; she then proceeds to climb the stairs and enter the building.

_**-End of Flash Back-**_

Tigress returns from her reverie to the present, and finds herself alone in the storage room.

The recollection of the boy from her memory strikes her, his jade green eyes were familiar to her.

"Po...!" she whispers to herself as she realises that those green eyes from long ago were the same pair of jade coloured eyes she looks at every day when she sees her large panda friend.

Tigress smiles (a little) to herself at the fond memory; Po and her had been 'friends' since before the Dragon Warrior debacle, but their chance meeting had been seemingly forgotten over the long years.

Po had indeed kept his promise, for he was indeed still her friend; even if she treated him with disdain when he first came to the Jade Palace (as the Dragon Warrior), making all efforts to get the fat panda to quit and leave; but she is glad he didn't (quit).

"You coming?" Po's voice catches her sensitive ears, and she turns to face the panda standing in the doorway.

Po had doubled back to the storage room after he had realised that Tigress was not walking with him and Monkey. His green eyes looking straight at her crimson eyes, awaiting her reply.

"Yea" Tigress answers, a small smile creeping onto her muzzle.

Tigress walks to the door (where Po was standing, waiting for her), and the two kung fu masters make their way to the kitchen. Two kindred spirits, friends through good times and terrible hardships, within an ever-changing and chaotic universe.

_**THE END  
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**It was kinda fun writing this fanfction fanfic… May write some more.**

**Please Review my story and I'll write more **

**Thanks for Reading!**


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